Three Pakistani rangers killed in Karachi attack

At least three of Pakistan's Sindh Rangers personnel were killed in an attack on the paramilitary forces building in Karachi, the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.

Witnesses said they heard a loud blast followed by gunfire along a major road in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar neighbourhood near several universities and Pakistan’s meteorological department.

Three militants were also killed in the attack on the local Sindh Rangers headquarters, Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho told Dawn.

Mohammad Bakhsh said he was praying at a nearby mosque when he heard the blast.

"The ground felt like it does when there is an earthquake," the 40-year-old who runs a restaurant in the area said.

"When we came out there was smoke everywhere ... then the gunfire started," he said, adding the firing went on for around 15 minutes.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said firing had ended and the situation was calm. This is the most notable attack in Karachi since an explosion targeting a Chinese convoy in October 2024 which killed two Chinese nationals.

Attacks in Pakistan’s major cities have become increasingly rare in recent years but a surge in militancy in regions bordering Afghanistan has raised concerns that violence could return to the urban centres.